Victor raised an eyebrow. "How did Monolith manage to create such an advanced nano-tech suit? Clearly, you guys killed Angela Kaufmann, who was the foremost scientific mind in this field of technology. No other scientist in the world can invent deviant weapons like these."
Raven giggled in her underwater tone. "I agree with you, honey. And you are pretty accurate in your inferences about my suit. It doesn't matter how Monolith invented the suit. The fact remains that it has come into existence. The ultimate weapon that can kill the invincible, immortal, peerless man!"
Without warning, the female assassin lurched forward. Victor was taken aback by her speed, which had doubled since her last attack. Her crab-like arm-sword swiped at him ruthlessly.
Victor dodged the attack and took a giant leap backward. He landed at the point where he buried Starfall. He pulled out the fifteen-ton executioner sword from the sand.
Raven was upon him again within seconds. Clang! Clang! His blade sparred with her razor arm.
Heraclite, a mythical element from which Starfall was forged, was highly sturdy. It could withstand nanite in its most potent form, and even Thanatos faltered against it.
Bang! With a mighty blow, Victor made Raven fly over a hundred feet away. She jumped to her feet, absolutely unharmed.
"Why don't you throw away that overweight toothpick and accept your fate?" the female assassin asked in an intimidating voice. "It's only a matter of time before I find an opening and rip out your bowels! Give in to the inevitable!"
Victor cast the woman a stony gaze. How arrogant was she to talk to him in that manner? Did she think a mechanical suit could defeat his superhuman abilities?
Victor raised Starfall, pointing it at Raven. With a grunt, he powered it up with his energy. Boom! A pillar of light shot out from the tip towards his opponent. It was Victor's most powerful attack that had sunk an entire naval fleet of thirty combat ships!
Woom! The energy pillar hit Raven in full blast. She held up her arms, which immediately morphed into black, scaly shields. As the attack hit her suit's defenses, the female assassin was knocked back a few yards but stayed upright. Victor pursed his lips in disbelief.
"I am tired of your parlor tricks!" Raven barked. "Here I come to end you!"
Clang! Clang! Victor and Raven resumed sparring with incredible athleticism. Their movements were too fast to follow. Spectators could only determine the landing of their attacks through shockwaves produced on collision.
The fight went on for minutes, with no points scored on either side. Suddenly, Victor lost his focus for a second.
Slash! Raven found an opening, and her crab-arm grazed against her opponent's torso. A spray of blood followed as the man growled.
"Nooo!" The girls watching the live feed cried out in unison. They had not imagined someone could actually hurt Victor so grievously.
Raven didn't waste time. Victor was off balance, even if it was for a second. She mustered all her strength into her limbs. Her right arm became engorged, and her fist ballooned. Sparks appeared around her hand as she made a sledgehammer-like fist.
Thump! Raven's attack pounded into Victor's gut with incredible force. He gasped as the air was knocked out of him. The man spat blood and was thrown back fifty feet. His limp body slid to a halt in the sand.
"That was easy," Raven said with ridicule. "What a weakling you are, Caesar! I came with high hopes that I would get a proper fight from a real man! But you shattered my dreams! It appears the name Caesar was over-hyped and overrated."
"The New World Order is nothing but a bunch of glorified suits! Your death will mark the organization's fall. It's time for the world to have a new ruler! My master will come out of the shadows and take his rightful place on the throne!"
Haley rushed to Maverick and grabbed his collar. "Mav! Do something! She's going to kill Victor!"
The look on the five-star general's face confirmed her fears. They were helpless.
"What can I do?" Maverick replied in a defeated tone. "The New World Order was never prepared for this situation! No opponent ever landed as much as a scratch on Caesar! And suddenly, he's defeated?! What do you expect me to do against someone who had the power to humble the strongest man on earth?!"
Raven headed towards Victor, her hips swaying as she walked. "I'm coming to dig out your heart, Caesar!"
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Claire begged Maverick. But the young man buried his head in his chest and shook his head.
"What about the red pill?" Carol spoke up. "Victor becomes stronger by taking it, right?"
Maverick shook his head. "That's true. But he needs to actually consume it. How do I send the pill to him in the middle of the battlefield-"
Maverick paused mid-sentence as something occurred to him. He grabbed his keyboard and rapidly began tapping keys and moving his joystick.
One of the drones transmitting from the beach dipped in the air, heading towards Victor. It swooped down, dropped a sachet, and zoomed away.
Maverick looked up, hopefully. The red pill had been delivered.